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The California is a car filled with firsts for Ferrari: the first front-engine V-8, the first use of direct injection, the first seven-speed transmission, the first true launch-control system, the first retractable hardtop, and the first stacked exhaust. But fear not, all these firsts have not changed the purity of Ferrari; they’ve just expanded its range.

There have been front-engine sixes and 12s, but this is the first front-engine eight and with it Ferrari has managed to make the entry-level California a true supercar in every sense of the word. The direct injection helps improve mileage and decrease emissions but because the California is heavier than the F430 it shares its engine architecture with, the tuning is optimized to boost torque by 14 lb-ft at the expense of 29 horsepower, for a total of 454 hp and 357 lb-ft.

The Getrag dual-clutch seven-speed automated manual gearbox is nothing short of absolute perfection, worlds better than the old single-clutch F1 automated manual found in most current Ferraris. The speed in which shifts are made has always been a bragging point for the Italians, and the nanoseconds have slowly diminished over the years to the point where they are now basically immeasurable. In addition, the neck-snapping caused by the old F1 gearbox is gone. All you’re left with is a constant acceleration accompanied by a sweet-sounding bark between shifts.

Other Ferraris have had “launch-control” systems, but those were nothing more than a way to quickly smoke away a few hundred dollars’ worth of tire. The California has a true launch-control system. So how does it work? Turn the CST traction control off, foot on brake, launch button pressed, wait for the beep, and then mat the gas. When the revs hit around 3000 rpm, lift off the brake. All you need do now is just hang on and keep the car pointed straight. The California’s new transmission, set up in launch mode, auto upshifts for you until you run out of gears. So what does she run? We got 3.5 seconds to 60, while the quarter mile ticked away in 11.9 seconds at 117.4 mph. That’s damned impressive for a car weighing 3916 pounds with only 454 horsepower.

To make this a true Ferrari California, the top had to come off. Instead of going with the conventional ragtop, Ferrari opted for a retractable hardtop. Usually when you make a car a convertible, you lose a lot of the structural integrity, but that’s not the case with the California. The all-new chassis works amazingly well at maintaining the rigidity we’ve come to know and love in Ferraris. Another interesting part of the drop top is its intelligence. If you’re stopped at a light, intersection, or even in your garage, and want to raise or lower the top, the car will do only it if it deems the situation safe. Since the whole rear end moves out about a foot and a half when in motion, the sensor at the rear determines if there is anything it might hit while raising or lowering the top.

You might be asking what the big deal is about a stacked exhaust, as it would seem to be nothing more than a styling change. Well, Ferrari does nothing strictly for styling; everything it does to a vehicle is for a specific purpose, as is the case with the exhaust treatment. At high speeds, air pressure can build in the wheelwells, creating lift, which is not a good thing. Ferrari’s solution to this was to put a vent in the back of the wheelwell to expel that pressure, eliminating the possibility of the car’s rear end getting light while playing in the triple-digit zone. The traditional side-by-side design did not work as well at relieving that pressure buildup.

Even though the California has the same ceramic brakes as do most Ferraris, the system’s setup is completely different. Ferrari specifically tuned this brake system to be much more user friendly. Other Ferraris equipped with the ceramics have a tendency to be very aggressive, grabbing hard on initial brake application. That might be okay on a track, but on the street it’ll turn you into a bobblehead doll just going from light to light. Ferrari has made this system much more compliant, adjusting how quickly the brakes clamp by fine-tuning the braking system and the brake pedal itself. After all, this is a GT, not a street-legal race car. Even though Ferrari has made these changes to the brake system, the California still stops with the best: 100 feet is all that’s needed to bring this car to a halt from 60 mph.

Picturesque scenery and perfect weather combined with beautiful twisty mountain roads made for a most memorable drive through the Italian countryside. The first thing we noted is how smooth the ride is, as opposed to the harsh, aggressive feeling you get from an F430 — but trust us, it still lives up to the Ferrari name. There’s a lot more nosedive when entering a corner and a considerable amount of body roll going through and exiting a corner, but that’s not a bad thing. Again, this is a GT. It doesn’t diminish confidence in the vehicle one bit; the soul of a Ferrari is still there — crisp turn in, amazing feel, plenty of power, and that unmistakable Ferrari sound. The California also comes with optional magneto-rheological dampers, which our test car doesn’t have. This system will help eliminate some of the body roll we experienced on our drive and during testing. And while we felt body roll, it certainly didn’t hurt handling performance: The California reached 0.99 g average on the skidpad. Again, that’s very impressive for a car with such a smooth ride.

The interior is a fantastic step up for Ferrari as well. It’s not that other Ferrari interiors have been bad, but this one is the best so far. Our car had the optional racing seats (which aren’t available in the U.S.), which in other cars means they’re great on a track, but punishing during a long commute. These seats felt perfect, holding and cradling us just right for our day-long drive. While not available in North America, in other markets these seats can be fit to order, choosing from among three sizes, and the driver’s seat can be different from the passenger’s seat, if you so desire.

Navigation, standard in the California, is a good thing to have if you happen to get a bit lost while playing on the Italian country roads.

Ferrari has taken a big chance, almost reinventing how it makes a car. The California represents a new chapter for the Italian coachbuilder in an already amazing book filled with super exotic masterpieces. Da Vinci would be proud.

Horsepower

Torque

2010 Ferrari California News and Reviews

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